Lea Michele 'feared crying over Cory'

Lea Michele feared being "too smiley" at the Teen Choice Award and was so "anxious" ahead of her appearance in the wake of Cory Monteith's death.

Lea Michele was apparently nervous about breaking down while dedicating her Teen Choice Award to Cory Monteith.

The 26-year-old Glee actress braved the red carpet with a smile at the ceremony earlier this month, before taking to the stage to accept the award for Choice TV Actress: Comedy.

In a tearful speech, she thanked fans for their support in the wake of Cory’s sudden death.

“Lea wasn’t even going to go to the awards, but a friend persuaded her that she was going to have to get out there at some point and this would be a great opportunity to publicly honour Cory. She was really, really nervous,” an insider told British magazine Heat.

“She had to rehearse her speech because she didn’t want to cry, but at the same time she didn’t want to be too smiley, which she tends to be when she’s anxious. She didn’t want Cory to be forgotten on the night as she truly loved him.”

Lea gave an emotional acceptance speech on stage. She paid tribute to the support she had received since her boyfriend passed away.

“Thank you guys. Thank you. I just wanted to be here today to personally thank all of you and tell everyone out there how much your love and support has meant to me over these very past few difficult weeks. Not that I had any doubt before, but you guys are most certainly the greatest fans in the world and I wanted to dedicate this award to Cory,” she said.

“For all of you out there who loved and admired Cory as much as I did, I promise that with your love we’re going to get through this together. He was very special to me and also to the world. We were very lucky to witness his incredible talent, his handsome smile, and his beautiful beautiful heart. So whether you knew him personally or just as Finn Hudson, Cory reached out and he became a part of all of our hearts and that’s where he will stay forever. So thank you guys so much. Thank you.” Copyright: Cover Media 2013